Swiss International Air Lines is set to participate in the ATM with a new-look stand, revealing a strong commitment to the Middle East region.

SWISS carried over 12 million passengers in its first year of operations and the airline will announce a new summer leisure package, while also introducing a series of innovative additions to its passenger service and product offering.

Commenting on plans for ATM 2003, Werner Rohrer, marketing manager for the Middle East & Far East Asia at SWISS, said: "Having successfully achieved a number of our key objectives ion our first year for this region, especially taking into account the current economic climate, we are looking forward to returning to ATM for a second time."

"These are challenging times for the travel industry and events such as ATM positively encourage the industry worldwide to refocus their attentions on the Middle East region, which we see as one of exceptional potential," he said.

The SWISS stand with its distinctive Swiss appearance was designed in Zurich especially for ATM, and expanded for this year's exhibition, the stand will feature a multimedia presentation, created to demonstrate the airline's many new product offerings in a truly interactive way.

SWISS, which officially took to the skies for the first time in April last year, operates a total of 26 weekly flights from the Middle East region including services from the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan and Egypt.